The present invention relates generally to wire harnesses and more particularly to a wire harness having a foam sheath, particularly for use in a pillar on a vehicle.
Current vehicles include numerous wire harnesses interconnecting an increasing number of electrical components to user-activated and computer-controlled switches and sensors. Each wire harness comprises a plurality of wires which are bundled to form a main trunk and a plurality of branches extending from the trunk. Typically, each of the branches includes an electrical connector at an outer end. The wires are wrapped with tape along the entire length of the main trunk and each of the branches.
Many wires in a vehicle are routed through one of the pillars to provide power and control signals to devices mounted in the headliner or the rearview mirror. For example, many vehicles include a message center mounted in the headliner which provides information regarding the operation of the vehicle, temperature, heading, etc. Sunroofs in vehicles must be supplied with electrical power. Some vehicles include speakers mounted in or wired via the headliner. Many vehicles include rearview mirrors which require power, such as for automatic dimming or an electronic display. All of these devices, as well as others, require power and/or control signals supplied via a wire harness routed through one of the vehicle pillars.
Generally, the wire harness is secured to the pillar with numerous clips. Then a trim panel is secured to the pillar, enclosing the wire harness. The trim panel includes a plurality of clips which snap fit into the pillar. If the wire harness is not positioned properly on the pillar, the clips on the trim panel may cut or damage the wire harness and wires.
United Technologies Automotive has developed a new wire harness in which the wires are encased in molded foam sheath. This is described in more detail in co-pending applications U.S. Ser. No. 08/898,663, filed on Jul. 22, 1997 entitled "FOAMED-IN WIRE HARNESSES." Improvements are more fully disclosed in other co-pending applications: "WIRE HARNESS WITH INTEGRAL CONNECTOR" U.S. Ser. No. 08/920,768; "APPARATUS FOR CENTERING WIRE HARNESS IN MOLD" U.S. Ser. No. 08/920,458; "WIRE HARNESS WITH SPLICE LOCATORS" U.S. Ser. No. 08/920,589, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,265 issued Oct. 26, 1999; "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING WIRE HARNESS TO SURFACE" U.S. Ser. No. 08/920,978, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,679 issued Feb. 22, 2000; "MULTISHOT MOLDS FOR MANUFACTURING WIRE HARNESS" U.S. Ser. No. 08/920,857, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,151 issued Jun. 29, 1999; "MOLDS FOR ASSEMBLING & FORMING WIRE HARNESS" U.S. Ser. No. 08/919,946; "FOAM WIRE HARNESS WITH SHAPE MEMORY" U.S. Ser. No. 08/920,570, all filed on Aug. 29, 1997; "WIRE HARNESS FOAMED TO TRIM PANEL" U.S. Ser. No. 08/927,748 filed on Sep. 11, 1997; and "WIRE HARNESS FOR VEHICLE SEAT" U.S. Ser. No. 09/061,404, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,318 issued Jan. 4, 2000. filed concurrently with the present application.